WEEKLY CLIMATE NEWS

23-27 May 2016

DataStreme Earth Climate System will return for Fall 2016 with new Investigations files starting during Preview Week, Monday, 22 August 2016. All the current online website products will continue to be available throughout the summer break period.

ITEMS OF INTEREST

Worldwide GLOBE at Night 2016 Campaign resumes -- The sixth in a series of GLOBE at Night citizen-science campaigns for 2016 will commence on Sunday (29 May) and continue through 7 June. GLOBE at Night is a worldwide, hands-on science and education program designed to encourage citizen-scientists worldwide to record the brightness of their night sky by matching the appearance of a constellation (Bootes in the Northern Hemisphere and Crux in the Southern Hemisphere) with the seven magnitude/star charts of progressively fainter stars. Activity guides are also available. The GLOBE at night program is intended to raise public awareness of the impact of light pollution. The next series in the 2016 campaign is scheduled for 27 June-6 July 2016. [GLOBE at Night]
North American Safe Boating Week -- This week of 21-27 May has been declared 2016 National Safe Boating Week, to help kick off the 2016 North American Safe Boating Campaign. Check the Safe Boating Week site maintained by the Safe Boating Council.
Zenithal Sun -- The noontime sun should be at the zenith or directly over the heads of those on the Hawaiian Island of Oahu (Honolulu metropolitan area) this week (25-27 May). [US Naval Observatory, Data Services]
National Heat Awareness Day -- The National Weather Service along with other national partners has declared this coming Friday, 27 May 2016, as Heat Awareness Day across the nation. National Heat Awareness Day is observed each year on the last Friday in May, since

Weather Preparedness Events Page

Heat: A major killer

A focus on hurricanes and their impacts -- In conjunction with National Hurricane Preparedness Week (15-21 May 2016) NOAA produced a five-part feature on hurricanes that includes the topics: "hurricane forecasting"; "hurricane impacts"; "hurricane hunters"; "Atlantic hurricanes and climate"; and "what can coastal residents do to prepare?" [NOAA News]
Hurricane season to begin in the North Atlantic -- The 2016 hurricane season in the North Atlantic Ocean basin, including the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico will begin next Wednesday, 1 June 2016. The 2016 hurricane season in the eastern North Pacific began a week ago on 15 May. The official hurricane seasons in both basins end on 30 November 2016.
Climatology of Indy 500 Race Day-- Next Sunday, 29 May 2016, is the scheduled running of the 100th Indianapolis 500-Mile Race. The Indianapolis Forecast Office of the National Weather Service has a list of the pertinent weather and climate statistics for race day, including the average high and low temperatures, rainfall and wind for the 1911-2015 period and a listing of the top 20 temperature, precipitation and wind extremes for the previous races.
Change in season -- Meteorological spring in the Northern Hemisphere, the three-month span from March through May, concludes next Tuesday (31 May 2016), while meteorological summer (June, July and August) will commence on the following day.

CURRENT CLIMATE STATUS

Global temperatures for April 2016 reviewed -- Using preliminary data collected from the global network of surface weather stations, scientists at NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) report that the combined global land and ocean surface temperature for April 2016 was the highest for any April since comprehensive global climate records began in 1880, or 1.98 Fahrenheit degrees above the 20th century (1901-2000) average. Furthermore, this temperature departure was the fourth highest monthly temperature departure for all 1636 months in the 137-year period of record. The scientists also reported that when considered separately, the April 2016 temperatures over the oceans and over the land surfaces were both the highest April temperature departures on record, with a sea surface temperature that was slightly more than 1.4 Fahrenheit degrees above the 20th century average and a land temperature departure of nearly 3.5 Fahrenheit degrees above average. Record sea-surface temperatures for the month were the result of the lingering effects of the strong El Niño event earlier this year across the central and eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean. The April temperatures on all six continents were within the top nine, with South America, Africa, and Asia observing a record high average temperature for April. [NOAA/NCEI State of the Climate]
According to data from the Rutgers Global Snow Lab, the Northern Hemisphere snow cover extent for April was the smallest in the 50-year period of record.
April sea ice extent data for the Arctic Ocean and the waters around Antarctica are unavailable from the National Snow and Ice Data Center because of issues with the sensor onboard the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) F-17 satellite. [National Snow & Ice Data Center]
A global map of Selected Significant Climate Anomalies and Events for April 2016 is available from NCEI.
All-time record high temperature for India is set -- Last Thursday (19 May 2016) the temperature at Phalodi in Rajasthan, India reached 123.8 degrees Fahrenheit (51.0 degrees Celsius, which unofficially represents the highest temperature ever recorded in India. An official statement about the authenticity of this record will be forthcoming. The previous national record high temperature for India was 123.1 degrees Fahrenheit (50.6 degrees Celsius) set in 1956 at Alwar, also in Rajasthan. [Washington Post Capital Weather Gang]
The current heat wave just before the onset of the rainy monsoon season has been responsible for dozens of heat-related fatalities in southern India. [CNN]

CURRENT CLIMATE MONITORING

Beaufort Sea Ice has early start to breakup -- A sequence of four images of the ice cover on the Beaufort Sea (to the north of Alaska and Canada's Yukon and Northwest Territories) obtained during this April from the MODIS instrument on board NASA's Terra satellite were compared with corresponding images made in 2014 and 2015 by the same sensor. An ice specialist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center pointed to the earlier breakup of the Beaufort Sea Ice, with noticeable areas of open water this year as compared with the previous two years. [NASA Earth Observatory]
Satellite detects a warm April on Greenland ice sheet -- A map showing the land surface temperature anomaly (or difference between observed and the corresponding 2001-2010 average) across Greenland during the month of April 2016 based on data collected by the MODIS sensor on NASA's Terra satellite reveals that a large section of Greenland's ice sheet had monthly temperatures that were as much as 20 Celsius degrees above average. These well above-average temperatures should result in extensive surface melting of the ice sheet. [NASA Earth Observatory]
Sea level air pressure data from global drifters appear crucial for marine weather forecasts -- In a recently published report, sea level air pressure data collected from surface velocity drifters deployed by NOAA's Global Drifter Program and other international partners have contributed critical information for marine weather prediction especially in regions lacking in-situ pressure measurements. These drifters are equipped with barometers and float mostly on the waters in the extratropical regions of the planet. [NOAA Climate Program Office News]

CLIMATE FORCING

Global atmospheric carbon dioxide influence increases by 50 percent in last 25 years -- According to NOAA's 10th Annual Greenhouse Gas Index, the direct warming effect of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere by 50 percent above pre-industrial levels during the past 25 years because of human activity. The Annual Greenhouse Gas Index is a measure of the annual change in the warming influence of greenhouse gases. The global average carbon dioxide concentration reached 399 parts per million by volume (ppmv) in 2015, which represented an annual increase by a record amount of almost 3 ppmv. At the beginning of the industrial era, atmospheric carbon dioxide was approximately 278 ppmv. [NOAA News]
(Notes: Recent monthly average carbon dioxide concentration data observed at Mauna Loa can be obtained from the NOAA Earth System Research Laboratory site.
Attention is directed also to NOAA's Annual Greenhouse Gas Index. EJH)
Explaining differences in sea ice behavior in polar oceans of the Northern and Southern Hemispheres -- A team of scientists from NOAA, NASA and several research universities have found that geological differences appear to be responsible for the slight increase in the sea ice cover of the Southern Ocean surrounding Antarctica, while the sea ice cover in the Arctic Ocean is concurrently experiencing a major loss in areal extent. The team based their findings upon analysis of the physical processes and properties affecting Antarctic sea ice using satellite radar, sea surface temperature, land form and bathymetry (ocean depth) data. They found that the topography of Antarctica and the depth of the surrounding ocean were influencing winds and ocean currents, respectively, to drive the formation, evolution and maintenance of Antarctica's sea ice cover. [NASA Global Climate Change News]

CLIMATE FORECASTS

New Seasonal Climate Outlooks for this summer issued -- Near the end of last week, forecasters at the NOAA Climate Prediction Center (CPC) released their new national Three-Month (Seasonal) Climate Outlooks for the upcoming summer season. These three months, running from June through August 2016, are identified as meteorological summer for the Northern Hemisphere. Specific details of their outlooks include:
- Temperature and precipitation outlooks -- According to their temperature outlook, a many of the 48 coterminous United States should experience a high chance of above average temperatures for these three upcoming months, with the greatest probability of such an occurrence being along the Pacific Coast, the northern Great Lakes and the Northeast, which includes New England and New York State, Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Nearly equal chances of warmer or cooler than normal conditions were anticipated in the Plains States running from the Dakotas southward to Oklahoma .
  Their precipitation outlook calls for better than even chances of wet conditions for summer 2016 across the central Rockies and adjacent areas of the central Plains. Likewise, above average rainfall was considered to be likely across northern New England. The rest of the contiguous states should have equal chances of below and above average summer precipitation.
  Outlooks for June are also available. A summary of the prognostic discussion of the outlook for non-technical users is available from CPC. These forecasts were based in part on the rapid transition from El Niño conditions across the equatorial Pacific to an ENSO-neutral state through summer in the Northern Hemisphere and then to a possible La Niña event during the fall.
- Seasonal Drought Outlook released -- The forecasters at NOAA's Climate Prediction Center also released their US Seasonal Drought Outlook last week that would run from mid-May through August 2016. Their outlook would call for persistence of drought conditions across sections of the Far West, running from southern Oregon southward to much of California and western Nevada into southern Arizona. Development of drought conditions were also anticipated across the Northwest (Washington and Oregon), the Upper Midwest (northern Minnesota, eastern North Dakota and northwestern Wisconsin) and sections of the Northeast, stretching from Pennsylvania across northern New Jersey, southern New York State, Connecticut and into Rhode Island. On the other hand, the forecasters believe that sufficient improvement of the drought conditions across the New Mexico and sections of the Tennessee Valley in the Southeast to warrant the possible removal of these areas from drought status. Note: a Seasonal Drought Outlook Discussion is included describing the forecasters' confidence.

CLIMATE AND THE BIOSPHERE

Warm ocean waters result in extensive coral bleaching -- .... A collection of maps displaying the sea surface temperature (SST) anomalies (or differences in observed and long-term average temperature) made from several satellite-borne sensors shows the above average temperatures across the Earth's tropical and subtropical ocean basins in the last seven months. Some areas had recent SST values that were at least two Celsius degrees above average. The coordinator for NOAA's Coral Reef Program claimed in February that the current global coral bleaching event was the longest ever observed, while Australia's Coral Bleaching Taskforce recently reported that nearly 93 percent of that continent's Great Barrier Reef has been affected by this bleaching event. [NASA Earth Observatory]

CLIMATE AND SOCIETY

Earthweek -- Diary of the Planet [earthweek.com]

Historical Events:

23 May 1953...The temperature at Hollis, OK soared from a morning low of 70 degrees to an afternoon high of 110 degrees, to establish a state record for the month of May. (The Weather Channel)
24 May 2002...The last measurable snow for the season fell at Marquette, Michigan. This brought the city's seasonal snowfall to 319.8 inches, by far the city's snowiest winter ever. (National Weather Service files)
26 May 1967...A slow moving nor'easter battered New England with high winds, heavy rain, and record late season snow on this day and into the 26th. Over 7 inches of rain fell at Nantucket, MA with 6.57 inches falling in 24 hours to set a new 24-hour rainfall record. The 24.9 inches of snow that fell at Mount Washington, NH set a new May snowfall record. Other locations in New Hampshire received 10 inches of snow near Keene and 6 inches at Dublin. (Intellicast)
26 May 2001...The 2000-2001 snowfall season finally ended in St John's, Newfoundland, during which time a grand total of 255.3 inches of snow fell. The total snow, which broke a century-old mark, was estimated to have weighed 500 million tons! (The Weather Doctor)
27 May 1948...The 1.5 inches of rainfall at Victoria, British Columbia set the record for the wettest May day observed in the provincial capital city. (The Weather Doctor)
28 May 1887...The temperature reached 97 degrees at San Francisco, CA, establishing a record high temperature for the month of May for the city. (Intellicast)
28 May 1942...The latest snowstorm of record for the state of Iowa left ten inches at LeMars, eight inches at Cherokee, and 7.5 inches at Waukon. Afternoon highs were in the lower 30s in parts of northwestern Iowa. (The Weather Channel)
28 May 1984...Sacramento, CA had its highest temperature ever recorded in the month of May, when the temperature reached 110 degrees, breaking the old record of 100 degrees set in 1932. (Intellicast)
28 May 2003...A new Nevada maximum temperature record for May was set when the high temperature at Battle Mountain, NV rose to 102 degrees. (The Weather Doctor)
29 May 2000...A new national maximum temperature record for May is set when the high temperature in Death Valley, CA soared to 122 degrees. (The Weather Doctor)

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